Two of Pentacles
by Dementra
Summary: She is a girl living in two worlds. When everything is said and done, a choice appears before her and she must choose which world to call home.


**Tarot of the Week**

 **Author's Note:** This used to be a chapter-fic, _Tarot of the Week_ , but I decided to separate them since they are not related and are from different categories.

Hello, everyone! Long time no see and Happy New Year! I'm sure some of you have noticed that I've deleted several of my fanfics. I may or may not rewrite and upload them again in the future. Anyways, I'm writing this oneshot series in hopes to keep my creative juices flowing and to rejuvenate my hibernating plot bunnies. I previously thought to use a _Word of the Day_ app or website for prompt ideas, but then I found tarot cards and thought that it could be interesting and challenging to use them as prompts instead. For those who are adept at reading tarot cards, I would like to say that I'm using my interpretation of the chosen card and its imagery instead of simply using the traditional meaning. Without futher ado, here's the first oneshot of the year. I wanted to write something more dynamic, but it turned into a character-introspection piece.

For the Two of Pentacles, I was originally going to write a piece about a character struggling to maintain balance between two important aspects of their life. (Writing about a character being great at multi-tasking isn't as fun.) But then, the fanfic took a life of its own and I ended up doing an introspective piece of Kagome's life _after_ dealing with the balancing issue.

 **XXXXX Dec 31, 2017 XXXXX**

 **Week 1: Two of Pentacles (Inuyasha)**

Ever since her fifteenth birthday, Kagome teeter-tottered between the Modern Era and the Feudal Era, balancing the life of a normal middle school girl with the life of a time-travelling miko hunting for Shikon shards while battling youkai. There were times when she got tired of her double-life and wanted to give up one for the other, but she never did due to her duties to both.

And now it's all over.

The Shikon no Tama has been purified by her wish and the well is closed, permanently stranding her in one era — the Modern Era, the one she was born in, the one she belongs in. She can be a normal teenage girl again. No more fighting Naraku and other youkai; no more fearing for her life and that of her friends; no more pain and tears.

No more… no more Inuyasha and all the unbelievably, undeniably precious friends she made during that difficult year of Shikon hunting.

For three years, she lived an extremely normal life as a high school student, with no one but her family to talk with about her amazing adventures, though she always glosses over the injuries and gory parts, the danger and fear. But even then, she feels out of place. It doesn't matter how many people she can tell her story to; no one can truly understand what she went though unless they experienced it for themselves.

It may have only been one year out of her now nineteen years of life, but it was an unforgettable year that changed everything for her; and the longer she continues her now comparatively monotonous life, the more she wants to return. Kagome visits the Bone-Eater's Well at least once a week for the past three years, remembering and hoping.

Today is no exception.

Changing out of her school uniform, the miko heads over to the well and stares into it. She and her friends graduated from high school today. Just three years ago, she had been constantly worrying over her middle school grades due to playing truant in favour of Shikon hunting; and now, she has the grades to get into Tokyo University for a major in history — her way of staying connected to the past, to her friends, in whatever way she can.

She knows she needs to move on, to stop dreaming of a world out of her reach. This is her world. She was born and raised here and will continue on doing so. But this world… this is a world without Inuyasha. Her heart clenches at the thought, because-

 _Inuyasha, I want to be with you._

A pulse of energy rushes through her being and a breeze trickles into the well house, bringing a clean fresh scent so different from the exhaust-filled air she is used to. Her breath hitches. The bottom of the well disappeared and a beautiful, dazzling blue sky is staring back at her.

The connection is back!

Just one jump and she can go back to the Fuedal Era, to Inuyasha. But she stays her hand. Something deep within tells her that this is a one-way trip. Four years ago, a new world suddenly opened up to her and she had to balance her life within two vastly different worlds. Then, three years ago, she had been forced back to her original world with no return. She wasn't given a choice during either of those times; but now she can. She can choose which world she prefers.

Can she? Can she forsake her family and modern-day comforts for Inuyasha, her friends, and the numerous dangers and hardships of the Feudal Era?

The answer is _'yes'_. For Inuyasha, it's always _'yes'._ Her heart has already made its choice before her mind did.

She needs to tell her family; she can't just abandon them with no warning. But Kagome doesn't dare move from her spot either, fearing that, once she did, the well will close again. So, she stays standing there, drinking in the sight of the Feudal Era sky and inhaling its clean air. Fortunately, she doesn't need to wait for long.

"Kagome?" her mother asks, coming up behind her. "What's wrong?"

"Mama," the miko says, leaning into her embrace. "The sky… Mama, I'm…" Words escape her. How can she possible tell her mother that she wants to go? That this is her final farewell. That she can chosen love over family. That she will be living out the rest of her life five hundred years in the past. That she will become a part of unwritten history. That, if she makes this choice, she will technically be already dead to her family and the rest of the modern world. That she doesn't care, because it's _Inuyasha._

Her mother hugs her tightly. "It's okay, Kagome," she says, voice trembling and eyes tearing but still maintaining a warm smile. "It's okay, Kagome."

With her blessing, Kagome jumps into the well and the feeling of being enveloped in its magic eases something inside her. It disappears seconds later; and the sound of birds chirping replaces its comforting silence.

Her heart pounds in her ears. She's back. She's finally back.

As she is about to climb up, using the various vines creeping alone the stone walls, a familiar hand reaches out towards her and she instantly grabs it, letting its owner pull her out. Her eyes tear when they meet the golden eyes they have been longing for.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry. Were you waiting?"

He pulls her into a hug. "Kagome… You idiot, what have you been up to?"

She smiles, leaning in his hard chest and breathing in his scent — slightly canine-like, musky, safe, and most importantly, it tells her that-

 _I'm home._


End file.
